I was listening to an NPR program about retirement and they touched upon my generation (Generation X) entering into middle age. This reminded me of a one-off phrase that a friend of mine had used the other day. Namely that “the forties are the new twenties”.
Thinking about it I certainly don’t feel like what I imagined I would feel like when I hit my forties. Growing up in suburbia I didn’t really contemplate my future that much but when I did I imagined a stereotypical suburban future with button down shirts and khakis and minivans and whatnot. My career would be well underway and would probably be spent at a single company for more than twenty years and would be backstopped by some sort of pension plan. My family life would be typical suburbanite and traditional.
Little did I know what the future would bring.
But then again I don’t think anyone really knows what the future will bring. Sure there are folks out there that do have that sort of lifestyle but it’s becoming rarer and rarer these days.
I never imagined a multigenerational household or that I would have to guard, tend, and cultivate my own retirement fund. I never imagined that I would have to be more dynamic and keep abreast of the latest developments in my field and several related fields in case I had to change jobs.
“the forties are the new twenties” sounds positive but really I think what it means is that you have to not only think like a twentysomething to keep your head above water but you also have to have the strength and flexibility of a twentysomething in case you find yourself in a tough position.
The new economy is not only leaner and meaner, it’s more dynamic and requires us to think fast and move even faster in order to keep pace with developments around the world.
Thinking about my future I don’t see myself retiring at the “traditional” age of sixty-five. Not only is it something that I don’t think I will manage to do. I don’t particularly want to limit myself. I want to believe that I can continue being active for as long as possible and to take advantage of my life right up to the very end. Things are just to interesting right now to retire.
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